Stem Cell Transplantation Cost In India

Stem cell therapy or transplantation is a medical procedure where healthy blood stem cells are collected from the donor's blood, bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood. These stem cells are then infused into the patient's bloodstream to replace their damaged cells with healthy new ones.

Stem cells are primarily produced in the marrow of the bones and can become any type of blood cell the body needs. These cells are constantly dividing and maturing into different cells, replacing older and worn-out blood cells.

The human body produces billions of new blood cells every day. If your stem cells cannot make enough new blood cells or if your bone marrow can no longer produce stem cells, it could lead to serious health problems, including anaemia, infections, or bleeding.

The most common instance of this happening is during intensive cancer treatments that require multiple rounds of chemotherapy or radiation, which can damage or destroy your blood cells and your body's ability to produce new blood cells.

Stem cell transplantation procedures go by many names, some of which include Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), bone marrow transplant, or stem cell therapy.

During treatments for stem cells in India, blood is taken from the vein of the donor's arm. The blood flows into a machine that removes the stem cells from the blood, and then the blood is returned to the donor through a vein on the other arm.

The newly harvested stem cells are then introduced into the patient's bloodstream through a catheter placed into a blood vessel in the chest. In the case of cancer patients, they undergo cancer treatments first before receiving their stem cell transplantation.

This type of blood filtration process is called apheresis. It is also called a peripheral stem cell transplant and takes 3 - 4 hours a day and must be done over 2 - 5 days in total. It is most commonly used when the patient's own blood cells are used for the transplant procedure.

Autologous Stem Cell Transplant: This stem cell therapy uses the patient's stem cells from their blood or bone marrow.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant: Healthy stem cells are collected from related or unrelated donors and then infused into the patient's bloodstream.

Allogeneic stem cell transplants can be further divided into:

Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplant: The stem cells are collected from the patient's parent or from a related or unrelated donor. This will provide a genetic match that is at least half identical to the patient.

Syngeneic Stem Cell Transplant: The donor is an identical twin. Since twins possess identical genetic types, they are considered a perfect match.

Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant: The stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord or placenta immediately after birth. This can be collected from a sibling or unrelated donor and frozen for future use.

On average, treatments relating to stem cells in India can range between ₹15 lakhs to ₹25 lakhs, depending on the type of transplant. For example, an allogeneic stem cell transplant cost in India can be higher than autologous stem cell transplants.

This is because finding a donor match can be difficult, especially for bone marrow transplants. Moreover, this procedure can sometimes require multiple sessions, which are not cheap. It also has a long recovery process lasting up to a year, as stem cell treatment often affects your immune system.

Furthermore, the cost of treatment will also depend on other factors like your city, pre-existing illnesses, and other medical expenses and procedures that come with stem cell therapy.

If this seems daunting or if you are unsure of your ability to cover these costs out of pocket, looking into the benefits of a health insurance plan can be beneficial. Many health insurance plans cover critical illnesses, so they are well worth looking into.

Under the new regulations from the IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) issued on 1st October 2020, the list of treatments covered under standard health insurance plans in India now includes modern treatments like stem cell therapy.

However, this will depend on the type of stem cell treatment you choose to undergo. Most insurers often do not cover experimental treatments but only treatments with proven medical results. So you will often find coverage for bone marrow transplant procedures under critical illness insurance plans.

Your medical practitioner must also confirm that you are eligible for a stem cell transplant procedure for you to claim any health insurance benefits. Always check policy terms and make sure that you get approved for medical treatments before proceeding with any payments.

At Tata AIG, we provide coverage for bone marrow transplants for haematological conditions in our Group MediCare 360 health insurance plan. The treatment costs are covered under the policy's Benefit In-patient Treatments and Day Care Procedures. Our Arogya Sanjeevani Health Insurance Policy also covers stem cell therapy for Hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplants.

Stem cell therapy is an effective treatment for cancer and other blood conditions that affect your body's ability to produce new stem cells. Depending on the type of treatment, patients may need to undergo multiple sessions, which can require hospitalisation.

It is a complex procedure that brings with it a long recovery time, multiple tests, and health check-ups. If you happen to be a cancer patient, you will need to undergo intensive chemotherapy or radiation treatments, which are also expensive.

So if you are currently undergoing this procedure or about to start treatment, consider getting one of our medical insurance policies to help you cover the costs.